1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disk drive apparatus for recording and/or reproducing a recording medium with a disk shape such as a magnetic disk or an optical disk, which is stored rotatably inside a disk cartridge.
2. Prior Art
The conventional art, for example, may be exemplified by a Removable Hard Disk Drive (hereinafter referred to as an R-HDD) as a mass storage device, which is used in an information processing apparatus such as a computer. The R-HDD records or reproduces information signals on a magnetic disk, which is rotatably stored inside a disk cartridge. The disk cartridge may be used detachably for the R-HDD.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a configuration of an R-HDD. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of a configuration of a disk cartridge to be stored in the R-HDD.
As shown in FIG. 1, the R-HDD 100 comprises a spindle motor 102, a chucking magnet 103, a head actuator 105 and a holder 106 inside an apparatus body 101 of an R-HDD 100, in which a disk cartridge is inserted. The spindle motor 102 rotatably drives the magnetic disk, which is rotatably stored inside the disk cartridge. The chucking magnet 103 comprises a permanent magnet attached to the spindle motor 102. The head actuator 105 is provided with a floating head slider 104, on which a magnet head for recording or reproducing the information signals on the magnetic disk is mounted, at a head end. The holder 106 holds the disk cartridge that is inserted inside the apparatus body 101.
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, in a disk cartridge 200, a magnetic disk 201 is clipped by a cartridge body 204, comprising an upper half 202 and a lower half 203. In this arrangement, an approximately center of the magnetic disk 201 is provided with a hub 205. The hub 205 comprises a ferromagnetic body designed to chuck using a permanent magnet. On the contrary, in the cartridge body 204, an opening (hereinafter referred to as an opening for a hub) 206 is defined on an approximately center of the lower half 203. The opening 206 causes the hub 205 attached to the magnetic disk 201 to face outside. The cartridge body 204 is provided with an opening (hereinafter referred to as an opening for a head) 207 at a portion of the build-up-peripheral-wall 204a of the side face. The opening 207 causes the head actuator 105 of the R-HDD 100 to approach inside of the disk cartridge 200. Further, in order to prevent the dust or the like from inserting therein, the disk cartridge 200 is provided with a shutter mechanism 208 for shutting up the opening for the hub 206 and the opening for the head 207 when they are not used.
In the R-HDD 100, when the disk cartridge 200 is inserted inside of the apparatus body 101, the opening for the hub 206 and the opening for the head 207 of the disk cartridge 200 are open. Then, the disk cartridge 200 comes down toward the spindle motor 102 together with the holder 106. At this time, the hub 205 of the magnetic disk 201 facing to outside from the opening for the hub 206 of the disk cartridge 200 is stuck to the chucking magnet 103 attached to the spindle motor 102. As a result of that, the spindle motor 102 can hold the magnetic disk 201, which is stored in the disk cartridge 200.
In the R-HDD 100, upon reproducing the record, the spindle motor 102 rotatably drives the magnetic disk 201, which is stored inside the disk cartridge 200. Also in the R-HDD 100, if the magnetic disk 201 is rotatably driven at a predetermined number of rotations, the head actuator 105 approaches from the opening for the head 207 of the disk cartridge 200. Then, the floating head slider 104 attached to the head end of the head actuator 105 records or reproduces the information signals on the magnetic disk 201 by the magnet head mounted on the floating head slider 104. At the same time, the floating head slider 104 is floating slightly by the air film which is generated between the floating head slider 104 and the magnetic disk 201 which is rotating.
In the R-HDD 100, the disk cartridge 200 is discharged from the apparatus body 101 of the R-HDD 100 by an adverse operation to the above stated operation when the usage of the disk cartridge 200 was over.
As described above, upon recording or reproducing the information signals on the magnetic disk 201 which is stored inside of the disk cartridge 200, R-HDD 100 is provided with the floating slider 104, floating over a surface for recording signals of the magnetic disk 201, which is rotating with a minute distance according to an aerodynamic influence. As a result of that, the magnet head, which is mounted, on the floating slider 104 and the magnetic disk 201 can be prevented from being touched to be worn out.
However, in the R-HDD 100, the magnetic disk 201 is rotating at a high speed as the floating head slider 104 is floating over a main surface of the magnetic disk 201 which is rotating with a minute distance, for example, some tens of nano meters. On this account, the R-HDD 100 is very weak for the dust or the like. Accordingly, if the dust or the like inserts inside of the disk cartridge 200 and it sticks to the surface of the magnetic disk 201, even the very minute dust may cause the disk cartridge 200 to record the information signals defectively. Further, in some instances, it is feared that the dust or the like inserts between the magnetic disk 201 and the floating head slider 104 so that the magnetic disk 201 is damaged and the magnet head mounted on the floating head slider 104 is physically clashed (head clash).
The magnetic disk 201 rotates inside of the disk cartridge 200 so that airflow is generated on the main surface of the magnetic disk 201 in the R-HDD 100. Then, a kind of influence caused by a centrifugal pump is generated, so that a vicinity of a rotation center of the magnetic disk 201 inside of the disk cartridge 200 comes to have a negative pressure. As a result of that, outside air containing the dust or the like communicates through the opening for the hub 206, which is provided on the center portion of the lower half 203 of the cartridge body 204, to flow into inside of the disk cartridge 200. At the same time, air inside of the disk cartridge 200 flows out from the opening for the head 207, which is disposed on the build-up-peripheral-wall 204a of the side face of the disk cartridge body 204.
Therefore, there was the case that the outside air containing the dust or the like flowed into the opening for the hub 207 in the R-HDD 100, so that the inside of the disk cartridge 200 was polluted.
Also, there was the case that the outside air containing the dust or the like flowed into the inside of the apparatus body 101 of the R-HDD 100, inserted the disk cartridge 200, even from a small gap of the apparatus body 101 due to spreading or locally decreasing of a pressure. As a result of that, the inside of the apparatus body 101 and the inside of the disk cartridge 200 was polluted.
There is an idea that a surrounding area of the opening for the hub 206 of the disk cartridge 200 is shielded by a shielding member to prevent the outside air containing the dust or the like from flowing into the inside of the R-HDD 100. However, since the vicinity of the rotation center of the magnetic disk 201 inside of the disk cartridge 200 comes to have a negative pressure in the R-HDD 100, a pressure of the vicinity of the spindle motor 102 for holding the magnetic disk 201 also comes down. Thus, there is a problem that a grease inside of the spindle motor 102, an operational fluid or air bubbles inside of the magnet fluid seal blows out to pollute the inside of the disk cartridge 200.
The present invention has been made taking the foregoing problem into consideration, an object of which is to provide a disk drive apparatus for performing a high dustproof when recording and/or reproducing information signals on a disk shape recording medium, which is stored rotatably inside of a disk cartridge.
A disk drive apparatus for recording and/or reproducing information signals on a disk shape recording medium, which is stored rotatably within a disk cartridge comprises a case having a cartridge storing space in which the disk cartridge is inserted, rotatably driving means for holding the disk shape recording medium, which is stored within the disk cartridge, which is inserted in the cartridge storing space and for rotatably driving the disk shape recording medium, shielding means for defining a shielded space by covering a surrounding area of the rotatably driving means for holding the disk shape recording medium and a filter for removing a dust or the like inside of the cartridge storing space. The shielded space and said cartridge storing space communicate each other via said filter.
In the above arrangement of the disk drive apparatus, the disk shape recording medium, which is stored inside of the disk cartridge is rotatably driven by rotating driving means, so that the pressure in the surrounding area of the rotating driving means for holding the disk shape recording medium becomes negative.
A shielded space covering the surrounding area of the rotating driving means is defined by the shielding means in this disk drive apparatus. The rotating driving means holds the disk shape recording medium. Therefore, air containing the dust or the like does not flow into the inside of the disk cartridge from a surrounding area of the rotating driving means for holding the recording medium in the disk, so that the inside of the disk cartridge may be kept clean. In this disk drive apparatus, the shielded space communicates to the cartridge storing space via a filter. Accordingly, air, which is cleaned by a filter, can be supplied from the cartridge storing space to the shielded space, that is, into the inside of the disk cartridge. As a result, the dust or the like does not pollute the inside of the disk cartridge so that a pressure in the shielded area can be prevented from extremely lowering.
The air in the cartridge storing space of the disk drive apparatus is inlet to the shielded space side through the filter. Accordingly, the air in the cartridge storing space can be cleaned.
The pressure in the cartridge storing space of the disk drive apparatus is higher than the pressure in the outside, so that the outside air containing the dust or the like can be prevented from flowing into the cartridge storing space.
The shielding means covers the outer circumference of the rotatably driving means and preferably comprises a member of connecting under pressure configured so as to connect to the disk cartridge under pressure. Thus, the shielded space can be shielded with high accuracy to prevent the dust from inserting into the inside of the disk cartridge. The member for connecting under pressure is preferably made of an elastic material.
The filter is preferably arranged so as to be positioned in a vicinity of the side face in said cartridge storing space, in which said disk cartridge is inserted.
In the above case, it is possible to collect the dust, which is inserted from the outside of the cartridge storing space, effectively so as to clean the inside of the cartridge storing space.
The disk cartridge is provided with an opening in which a head for recording and/or reproducing said disk shape recording medium is inserted. The filter is preferably arranged so as to be positioned in a vicinity of the opening, which is defined in the disk cartridge of the cartridge storing space when the disk cartridge is stored in the cartridge storing space.
In the above case, it is possible to utilize a filter with a less pressure loss. Accordingly, a pressure in the shielded area can be prevented from extremely lowering.
The filter is preferably arranged to be positioned so as not to overlap with the disk cartridge in the cartridge storing space when the disk cartridge is stored in the cartridge storing space.
In the above case, it is possible to utilize the inside of the cartridge storing space effectively to thicken a wall of the filter.
The disk drive apparatus preferably comprises a supporting plate for supporting the driving means. The shielded space and the cartridge storing space preferably communicate with each other via a duct line having a linear groove which passes through a rotation center of the disk shape recording medium, which is defined on the supporting plate.
In this state, it is possible to suppress the rigidity of a supporting plate for supporting the driving means so that vibrations occurred in the supporting plate can be prevented.
As described above in detail, the disk drive apparatus according to the present invention is provided with the shielded space for covering the surrounding area of the rotating driving means, which is defined by the shielding means in the disk drive apparatus. The rotating driving means holds the disk shape recording medium. Therefore, the air containing the dust or the like does not flow into the inside of the disk cartridge from the surrounding area of the rotating driving means for holding the recording medium in the disk, so that the inside of the disk cartridge may be kept clean. In this disk drive apparatus, the shielded space and the cartridge storing space communicate with each other via a filter. Accordingly, the air, which is cleaned by a filter, can be supplied from the cartridge storing space to the shielded space, that is, into the inside of the disk cartridge. As a result, the dust or the like does not pollute the inside of the disk cartridge so that a rapid decrease in pressure in the shielded area can be prevented.
The air in the cartridge storing space of the disk drive apparatus is inlet to the shielded space side through the filter. Accordingly, the air in the cartridge storing space can be cleaned.
The pressure in the cartridge storing space of the disk drive apparatus is higher than the pressure in the outside, so that the outside air containing the dust or the like can be prevented from flowing into the cartridge storing space.
Therefore, according to the disk drive apparatus of the present invention, a high dustproof can be obtained when recording and/or reproducing the information signals on the disk shape recording medium, which is stored rotatably inside of the disk cartridge.